Flotsam and jetsam
by callosum
Summary: My collection of One Piece ficlets of randomness. 6. Law tolerates his new Strawhat allies, with the exception of the other North Blue brat. Law, Sanji, Zoro.
1. Promises Unfulfilled, Luffy & Shanks, K

Hello there! I finally decided to create this as a container for all the miscellaneous One Piece drabbles and ficlets I write, which will dribble in from time to time. I've put a blanket T rating on the fic, but each chapter will have individual warnings and ratings.

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******Title: **Promises unfulfilled  
******Summary: **Whenever Luffy looks for Shanks, he's nowhere to be found. Future fic. Inspired by Chapter 580.  
******Words: **398  
**Warnings:** None  
**Rating:** K  
******A/N:** From the recent One Piece chaos thread. Prompt was "Hidden".  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece.

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Luffy twirls Hat on his finger slowly, contemplatively, watching the hatband spin, snatching the brim to stop it when a shadow darkens the doorway. "Captain." One word tells him all he needs to know. After all these years, he's grown ultra-sensitive to the slightest inflection of his first mate's voice. Some joke it's a wonder they bother to talk at all.

"I got it, Zoro." He hops to his feet, his usual spring in his step, that some take to be a sign of the Pirate King's eternal youth, but is really just one of the many side-benefits of having a body made of rubber. "He got away again, didn't he?"

It's not enough. It's _never_ enough. He's conquered the Grand Line, seen One Piece and put it back, defeated rivals greater even than Whitebeard or Shiki ever were to Roger, freed countless slaves, given the Marines a damn good run for their money, and yet...

"When you've become a great pirate, come see me again and give it back." Words that he once thought of as an encouragement, before he realised just how high Shanks' standards were. Every time he tries to return Hat, his former mentor slips away to one of his many hideouts, silently signalling that he hasn't fulfilled his part of the bargain yet.

Sometimes he despairs of ever being capable enough to satisfy Shanks, wondering what it would take to equal Gol D Roger. So he asks Robin to read him the histories again, listening attentively to her tales of the first Pirate King and his exploits, trying to figure out what Roger had that he lacks. He tried joking once that maybe he should try contracting a terminal disease and surrendering himself to the Marines, given that that's the one part of Roger's career trajectory he hasn't followed yet.

No one laughed.

He did get several slaps up the head, though.

He smiles a little at the memory of the crew's reaction and claps Hat once more on his head. It's both pride and prison, but for now, it's ___his_, and it gives him something more to strive for each day.

He wraps an arm around his first mate and shepherds him out the door.

"Come on, Zoro. Let's go change the world."


	2. Internal Arguments, Zoro & crew, K

Written for the onepiece_300 community on LJ.

******Title:**Internal Arguments  
******Rating:**PG  
******Media:**Fic  
******Pairing/Characters: **Zoro  
******Word Count: **299  
******Setting/Spoilers: **Set after Thriller Bark.  
******Prompt: **Heart

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"Zorooooooo, come and playyyyyyy..."

Zoro groaned and rolled over, hoping - but not expecting - that Luffy would give up and let him go to sleep, wondering for the thousandth time what kept him on this ragtag crew.

He gave himself his standard answer. _You owe him. He saved your life._

A new voice suddenly jumped into his internal conversation. _But you don't owe him that anymore. You saved his life in return. You're quits._

Zoro's eyes flipped open and he stared at the wood of the deck.

_You never said you'd stay forever._

"Pleeeeeeeeeease, Zoooooooroooooo?"

Chopper. Luffy had called in reinforcements.

_But who'll take care of them if I'm not here?_

_Shit cook can do that._

_Who'll spar with him if I'm not around?_

_He doesn't need you. He hates your guts!_

"!" They'd become a trio now, with Usopp joining in.

"Zoro, do something to shut them up. I can't concentrate!" Nami snapped.

_W__ho'll the sea witch extort from if not from me?_

_..._

_I'm not even going to answer that one._

"Zoro, come and play! Captain's orders!"

Zoro's muscles automatically tensed.

_You don't have to follow that rubber brat anymore, you know. You're free now._

_But I promised._

_What you _promised _was to kill him if he got in your way. You never gave your word you'd stay._

Zoro replayed the incident in his mind.

_So I did._

Zoro rolled back round. "Luffy, I..." Zoro stopped short when he found himself staring at twin puppy-dog expressions of plea. "Oh, no." The expressions intensified. "Don't do that to me, dammit!"

___You're weak._

___Shut up.__  
_  
"Pretty please?" They looked even more hopeful now. They knew they'd got him.

That was when Zoro realised he'd given them something even more precious and more binding than any promise ever could be.

He couldn't follow a straight line on a map, but one thing he did know was how to follow his heart.

"_Fine_," he grumbled. "I'll play."


	3. Storyteller's Hero, Usopp & Zoro, Kplus

This was originally a drabble entry in the LJ onepieceyaoi100 community, but it's not actually yaoi, more...nakama love and respect.

**Title: **Storyteller's hero  
**Rating: **K+  
**Word Count: **300  
**Pairing: **Usopp/Zoro  
**Topic: **Hero

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___"Put me down, I'll fight him," Captain Usopp growled. His faithful followers valiantly refused, but the light-wielding monster knocked them to the ground.____He hovered ominously over Captain Usopp, stamping viciously on his head, our hero too exhausted by his injuries to resist..._

Here Usopp pauses, glancing at the green-haired swordsman who's been the archetype for "Captain Usopp" in every story since Usopp first saw Zoro in action. Usopp knows how this story continues, but there are many other paths the story could have taken...

___Scorning the pleas of his followers (Captain Usopp was too proud, of course, to plead for himself), the light monster fired a beam at our hero, boring a hole through his chest, an injury that would prove fatal...  
_  
Usopp shudders, and looks again for reassurance in the sight of Zoro snoozing peacefully, proof that ___this _story didn't go down that tragic road. But he knows it's entirely up the whimsy of the great storyteller in the sky, and next time, things could turn out horribly different.

He takes a deep breath.

___One of his followers threw himself between the light monster and Captain Usopp, producing a mirror from his trusty pack, reflecting the deadly beam away. The light monster turned human again, howling in rage at being thwarted...__  
_  
Usopp smiles and scribbles in his notebook. He continues imagining scenarios and reactions, following each thread to its joyous or tragic end, noting which actions led to victory and which to defeat.

It matters little that "Captain Usopp" is not so invincible as he once was. The fact that he occasionally needs the back-up of his "faithful followers" makes him no less a hero. And for the day when his help is needed again, Usopp will be rehearsing his part, watching vigilantly, waiting for ___his _turn to become the hero in Zoro's story.

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**A/N: **Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one! Thank you for reading!


	4. First Assignment, Zoro,Mihawk & Perona,K

This was an entry in the One Piece 300 LJ community (over the word limit though, because it's too hard to be brief!).

**Title:** First Assignment  
**Rating:** K  
**Characters:** Mihawk, Zoro, Perona  
**Warnings:** If you don't know how these three could logically appear together in a fic, here be spoilers.  
**Word Count:** 533  
**Prompt:** Stress

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"Can we start training yet?"

"_No_," Mihawk replied curtly. It was the tenth time the request had been made and denied, and he was beginning to tire of his new student's stubbornness. At least the boy hadn't resorted to begging on his knees again - yet.

"Why not? I'm already recovered!" Roronoa insisted.

Mihawk eyed the copious evidence to the contrary that still wound haphazardly around the boy's torso, arms and legs, and gave what he would never admit was an inward sigh. The boy was all too eager, as always, to get himself killed. For all his (little) skill as a swordsman, he was more like a blunt hammer, battering himself into walls over and over to move ahead. Roronoa needed to learn precision, delicacy, to target his strength, to wield his katana as a seamstress her needle...

A spark zipped through his sharp eyes as genius struck him, and he was amused to see Roronoa's face brighten as he perceived his teacher's change of mind about not giving him his first assignment.

The boy hadn't yet learned what that particular smirk of his meant, but he would soon know to fear it.

...

Hours later, Zoro found himself silently cursing Mihawk as he hunched over his work in a corner of the castle, trying to fend off the ghost girl, who was _way_ too inquisitive for his liking.

"What are you doing? Why won't you show me?"

"Go away, I'm busy!" Zoro yelled in frustration. A cold sensation trickled through him, and his eyes popped out as Perona's spectral head emerged from his torso. "_Don't do that_!"

"What are you...are you..._sewing_?" she gasped in laughter. "Horohorohoro!"

"Shut up! There's nothing funny about it!"

"I wonder what Strawhat and your friends will say if they see you doing something so unmanly!" Perona teased.

"It's not unmanly," Zoro growled. "You know who sews for everyone on our ship? Usopp. The long-nosed guy. The only one of us who managed to defeat you."

"Longnose! Don't remind me of him!" Perona shrieked shrilly.

Zoro smirked. "Then don't call it unmanly." He picked up his work to examine his stitches, and Perona gasped again as she recognised the familiar blue and white striped fabric.

"You're not – you're not sewing me – it's a new _Bearsy_, isn't it?" She sounded as if she were going to burst from excitement.

"I'm not doing it for you," Zoro grunted. "It's training."

"I'll have to go thank Hawksy!" Perona twirled, then stopped when she bent to examine Zoro's handiwork further. "Hey, the stitches are uneven here! That's not cute! Do them over!"

"Mind your own business!"

"This is my business! And stop waving that thing around, you're going to poke someone's eye out!"

"Then shut up and leave me alone, pink witch."

"How rude!" Perona huffed. "Negative Hollow!"

"Wait, nooooo! I...I want to be reborn as..._Will you stop doing that!_"

"Horohorohoro! Recovering faster, are you? Then take this! Triple Negative Hollow!"

"I want to be reborn as a ball of lint..."

In the next room, Mihawk leisurely turned a page of his book, and congratulated himself on a brilliant choice of first assignment for his new apprentice.

**

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Author's Note:** Yes, unlike my last few uploads, this is actually new fic, written when I can scarcely afford the time to write, but oh well, the prompt just spoke to me! Back to stressing out over homework now...

Reviews of any kind, including concrit, are very welcome. (Somehow, I always have time to read them! :-P)


	5. nakama (n), Zoro & Chopper, K

Found this fic in my WiPs folder. It's so ancient I can't even remember writing it. But here it is anyway, since it was complete...

**Title:** nakama (n.)  
**Summary:** Leaving Drum Island, Chopper gets to know his new nakama  
**Characters:** Chopper + Zoro  
**Words:** 949  
**Rating:** G  
**Warnings:** Fluff!

It's the hottest he can ever remember being. Drum is well behind them now, so distant that not even the faint glow of pink snow can be seen on the horizon. The others went to bed near sunrise, after their raucous party, but Chopper's too excited to sleep. He's taking an inventory of the medical pack Doctorine prepared instead, laying out the precious packets of herbs systematically around him. The last things he finds are three sheets of paper, neatly folded - the notes he'd compiled on his latest patients, he realises, and Chopper fights off a sniffle as he realises just how much Doctorine understood him, even if she couldn't bring herself to show it.

He repacks his herbs, and is about to get up when a deep voice next to him says, "What're those?"

Chopper squeaks in fear and dashes for cover behind the mast, eyeing the human warily. It's the scary one, the green-haired swordsman. Zoro, the others call him. Chopper wouldn't ordinarily have sat so close to him, but Zoro's coat had smelled of home.

"I'm not going to eat you," the deep voice rumbles again. Then, with a touch of impatience, it adds, "Well?"

Chopper realises he owes the swordsman a reply. "They're my medical files on Nami and Sanji and Luffy," Chopper says, looking at the sheets of paper he still clutches in his hoof. The mention of his captain's name makes Zoro frown.

"What happened to Luffy?"

"I can't say. Doctor-patient confidentiality," Chopper says, and Zoro snorts, a little alarmingly. "Well, you can't expect to climb the Drum Rockies wearing shorts and sandals, no gloves and no coat, with two people on your back without getting injured, right?" Chopper decides it's safe to say.

A hard, serious look comes into the swordsman's eyes for a moment, then it clears. "Guess not," Zoro says, beginning to remove his winter coat. Chopper half-wishes he could do the same. Then he sees it. The gigantic scar running diagonally across Zoro's chest.

"Guess I'll have to start one of these for you soon too, huh?" he blabs. And then he's mortified, because he realises Zoro might take that as an insult, but instead the man grins and settles back comfortably against the deck.

"Probably."

That one word makes Chopper relax at once, and he stashes the sheets of paper back into his pack and turns to go.

"You've forgotten something."

Chopper turns back, to see Zoro holding up a small scrap of paper. "Nakama," he begins to read off it. "Someone that you -"

"Give that back!" Chopper interrupts, blushing pinker than one of Doctor's more successful experiments.

Zoro raises an eyebrow and hands it over. "I didn't just violate doctor-patient confidentiality, did I?"

"No," Chopper says miserably, taking it in his hoof, knowing that Zoro will now think he's an idiot.

_It's been playing in his mind over and over again. Him and Doctorine in the snow, triaging the three new patients who've just appeared over the edge of Drum Rock. He thinks they're all out cold, but he's wrong about the frostbitten one, who grabs Doctorine by the arm and struggles to speak through chattering teeth. If it had been Chopper he'd grabbed, he'd have run away and hid, but Doctorine knows just what to say. "Don't worry. I'll take care of that kid and this girl. Rest easy."_

_"They're my NAKAMA!" the human roars back, and Chopper gasps at the look in his flared eyes, which manage to be frantic and angry and pleading and a thousand other things at once._

_"Nakama," Chopper repeats to himself, idly tearing a scrap of paper from the edge of a clean sheet. He prints the word on the scrap, then pauses. Doctorine's taught him that whenever he reads or hears a new word, to come up with a trial definition first, then check it against the dictionary. But he doesn't know how to even begin defining this one, how to capture the thousand things the human was saying with those eyes in just a few words._

_It doesn't mean family. He's sure of that. The human has black hair, the female orange hair, and the second male blond hair. Genetics precludes them all being related._

_But it doesn't mean friend either. He's heard the people in the village call each other "friend", and he knows that can't be the sum total of what "nakama" means. You don't risk losing all your fingers and toes to frostbite for just a friend._

_He thinks and thinks, and finally makes a stab at a definition. It doesn't seem entirely satisfactory, but it's time to change the female's cold compress, so it'll have to do for now._

"I didn't know what it meant when I wrote that, but I know now," Chopper hastens to explain, on the defensive now. "Doctorine told me."

"'Someone that you care about more than you care about yourself'," Zoro quotes from memory. "I dunno, seems to me you got it pretty much right the first time."

Chopper stares at Zoro for a moment, then retreats into his usual defensive mechanism when faced with having to express emotion. "Don't think I'm happy about you complimenting me like that, you asshole!" he wriggles in delight. Then he stops and looks down at the scrap of paper. "You know what else Doctorine taught me?"

"What?"

"That you don't really know a word until you start using it." He takes a deep breath, then declares in all earnestness, "Zoro is Chopper's nakama!"

Zoro clears his throat and replies, "Yeah, well, you're my nakama too, little buddy."


	6. North-begotten, G, Sanji, Law

**Title:** North-begotten  
**Rating:** K  
**Words:** 530  
**Characters:** Law, Sanji, (Zoro)  
**Warnings:** Spoilers for the Punk Hazard arc.  
**A/N:** Written for bluewalk.

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Sanji's hard at work on dinner for twelve plus Luffy when Zoro stomps in, slams the door shut behind him, and demands a drink.

Sanji takes one look at his disgruntled expression, confines his objections to a single eyeroll, and grants him both sake and sanctuary.

The ship feels overcrowded these days, what with Kin'emon and his perverted dragon spawn on board, and Caesar Clown a belligerent prisoner in seastone chains, all alongside the usual madness of the crew. And then there's their new ally, Trafalgar Law, who's sitting cross-legged on the deck, cradling his sword to his chest, right in Zoro's favourite spot. He can't blame Zoro for seeking temporary respite in the galley.

"D'you trust him?" he asks by way of conversation, nodding towards the shichibukai who's visible through the porthole on the kitchen door.

"Hell no," Zoro growls. He downs the sake in a single swig and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, the boor. He looks back out at Law, frowning. "He watches you, you know."

Really? He hadn't noticed. But of course Zoro would. "He has good taste," Sanji says, grinning when Zoro's scowl deepens. "Why, are you _worried _about me, marimo?" he teases.

"Tch. Just...watch out for yourself," Zoro says, and stalks out without a word of thanks to resume his watch over the crew. The door swings back and forth on its hinges behind him, affording him a glimpse of Law, his eyes dark and brooding under the brim of his hat, boring straight into his soul.

Huh. Maybe Zoro was right about Law.

_Weirdo bastard_, he concludes, shrugging off the fleeting feeling of discomfiture, already dismissing it from his mind in favour of concentrating on his meal.

He's made sure it doesn't contain even a hint of bread.

Law knows the North in the cook without asking, sees it in the echoes of frost that glitter in that golden hair, reads the famine in his bones.

What else he needs to know about Sanji he gleans from the everyday chatter of the Strawhats. East Blue. A sea restaurant. The _shitty geezer_.

And what's left unsaid speaks through his smile, the grin that makes his eye go wide and lights up his entire face.

The sort of smile that signals happiness. Love. At a minimum, forbearance, for when he talks to the green-haired swordsman.

It's not the baring of teeth you put on a pirate flag, not the kind of smile you would never think to associate with a mass-produced weapon designed to put an end to peace. It's as far from apocalyptic as you can get.

He sees it. He hates it.

It begins to fester within him.

Part of him knows that's unfair, that Sanji can't help his own good fortune. But the world has repeatedly demonstrated its unfairness to Trafalgar Law, and he doesn't see why he ought to be any better.

_I can hate you, can't I._

For growing up in that kindliest of seas.

For being brought up by a man who let himself be called "shitty" without putting the fear of Vergo into you.

For escaping Doflamingo's hell, when I was left behind.

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**A/N:** Concrit is welcome.


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